
gtblum
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Everything posted by gtblum
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http://www.localsyr.com/story/d/story/n ... KL48WGGTVQ
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Home Inspector Steals Bait Drugs - Gets Nailed
gtblum replied to hausdok's topic in News Around The Net
From a couple of weeks ago, on somebody's kitchen counter. I made sure my client saw it while I took the picture. Click to Enlarge 23.6 KB A Maroon? Maybe. A very sick individual who no longer has control might be more like it. Unfortunately for me, the subject of drug addiction has become very real and painful. Losing someone you love to drugs, and coming to terms with the fact you are completely helpless to do anything but watch, is something I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. They have no control. There is no amount of support, begging, screaming, or threatening, that will make a difference. It's not about making a choice. Their brain chemistry changes. Do yourselves a favor and read these. Knowledge is power. By the time I started digging into this, I had already lost. Don't let the same thing happen to you. http://blogs.psychcentral.com/addiction ... over-love/ http://www.drugrehab.us/news/how-substa ... processes/ -
Are you sure it's not an epoxy coating on the concrete? Terrazzo is poured in a slurry between metal strips that either border or separate sections, and are sometime formed to create patterns. Once it sets up, They grind and polish it with a diamond disk.
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Demand From Listing Agent - What Would You Do?
gtblum replied to dtontarski's topic in Electrical Forum
Section 197-4.3 Non-Disclosure Home inspectors shall not disclose to a third party the contents of a home inspection report or any observations, deductions, opinions that pertain to a home inspection report without the prior consent of the client or the client?s representative. Stands, and applauds! No longer has puke in mouth after reading about opportunities to kiss ass of another misinformed hack for the sake of making a dollar, while disrespecting the profession. On the positive side, I travelled 2 1/2 hrs one way, for an inspection, on Thursday, for the son of a recent client. The agent was a breath of fresh air. The woman got it. A true professional, and a rarity in sea of serpents. -
Demand From Listing Agent - What Would You Do?
gtblum replied to dtontarski's topic in Electrical Forum
End of conversation. -
For some reason, I understood metal was the only accepted material here, as well. Either way, with the price of copper, I expect to see much more of this in the future. Thanks for the results of your experiment, Jim. My mind was 90% made up, when I walked away from it. The experiment sealed the deal.
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Raised trim at tread is trip hazard- IRC ?
gtblum replied to JPLomeo's topic in Interiors & Appliances
Uh oh! Now I'm flummoxed by the word "bump". [] I don't think it's just you. I'm sure thousands of agents would agree. Let's look at the big picture. A chimpanzee should know better than to use that crap on a staircase. It's a product made for Joe homeowner to impress his bride with. It eats saw blades, is always slippery, blows up like a tampon when the family dog expresses their opinion of your work, and it has no soul. A guy who calls himself a builder and uses that junk for something bare minimalist builders of yesteryear, would take pride in spending the extra time and loot on, the only permanent furniture piece in any home, is the real hazard. Hope you could see what was holding that ugly mess in the air. Staircase, my a$$. -
Do you call out the pex because it's not in the rule book, or do you let it slide? Is it rigid enough to take the discharge without whipping around like a snake? Click to Enlarge 31.87 KB
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I've learned a different approach. I have fun with them. If they're stupid enough to call you and ask that question in the first place, I've got plenty of problems to share with them. Taxes are too high. I don't heal as fast as I once did. My backswing sometimes, takes me off balance and causes me to overcompensate on the recovery, and hack the ball out of bounds. Those are just some of them! By the time I'm done with that, they will have already hung up and they'll be the one who's "lit up".
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Will this help you? I was once a carpenter foreman on a nuke plant cooling tower, fill pack replacement. They change sections of it out, every two years.
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How about renting a hydro laser or some other type of high pressure power washer to blast the dirt away from the roots, then change the tip, and slice the roots with the same tool?
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Somebodies inspection I was called to double check
gtblum replied to plummen's topic in Exteriors Forum
I was trying to be nice about describing that POS. I'm just not a fan of treated lumber. While we're sort of on the subject of decks, anybody else seen or worked with this latest, greatest, answer to replacing rotted trex? Tuff deck? A project I'm trying to wrap up for someone. The material is like licorice when it gets warm. Butted end joints opened to a quarter inch, two days after I installed it. I may have compromised the integrity of the frame with the weight of the blocking I had to have to support the pattern. Don't be picking on the off colored piece. it was replaced. Click to Enlarge 50.27 KB -
Somebodies inspection I was called to double check
gtblum replied to plummen's topic in Exteriors Forum
I am a carpenter, I own a pickup truck, and if you read some of the wise ass remarks I've posted, also part clown. The deck ain't pretty. I'll give you that. From what we can see, it needs correction. I can't see any untreated lumber in the dirt. I'll take your word for it. As far as using a combination of treated and untreated lumber anywhere else, stain it and walk away. I'm one of those guys who hates treated for anything other than ground contact. -
That's why, when I find that obscure item you speak of, my report says to have an electrician correct this, and anything they feel, also needs correction. That doesn't mean I'm ignoring anything, being lazy,or missed it. I've usually found plenty enough to bring you in. Your turn. I'm not there to find everything for you.
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According to the Golf Channel, they also seem to be costing equipment manufactures billions. Some are so good at it, They have to cut the clubs open to prove they're fakes.
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Wood Stove too Close?
gtblum replied to greyboy39's topic in Fireplaces, Chimneys & Wood Burning Appliances
What could go wrong? At best, a stove that size, loaded with locust, hickory, or dried oak, would probably max out at around 900 degrees on contact. I can see a fire extinguisher! [] The shelf full of paint behind it, is also a nice idea. -
Every time I look at this, I think about what this must look like during the winter. Ice and water from the upper roof,(hip?)to the lower, with a gutter to help back it up into a huge ice sculpture. I mean no harm to the new guy, but, c'mon. Take a look at what's there and consider a few things before tossing some lame ass, perfect world advice that's useless to this condition. Both of those places are still standing after 100 years + of Lake Michigan winters. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
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Sounds pretty simple to me. Why didn't we think of that? Cheap, too. The gutters are already there, and landscaping that foot and a half wide alley, couldn't possibly cost that much.
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They must have asked the neighbor for permission to fasten the gutter from their window. [] This kind of goofy stuff isn't exclusive to Chicago. There's plenty of the same type around here. Why bother killing yourself trying dream up something to correct it now? The houses must be close to 100 years old, right? The buyer must have seen it before they made an offer, right? It is what it is.
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How did you arrive at that conclusion, Peety? You're forgetting, somewhere in the area of 80% of the inspections hired, are by way of a realtor referral. You don't think for a minute, those agents are looking for a way to cut into their own commission checks, do you? Trust me, Peety. I'd love for what you believe to be the case. That would mean the clients were educated in the ways of how the system works, they'd seek their own inspector rather than end up with a hand picked good old boy, and you might not see as much of the incompetence you seem to run into. Peety, it's never going to be about the quality of the inspector, until the quality inspectors are being hired. That ain't happening until the current referral system is challenged and eliminated by everyone.
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How well do they know the neighbors? I'm thinking a dormer with a door would work. Imagine the snow drift that must pile up there!
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Companies like Reading, Unicell, your local, including conversion vans and hearses, draw from what they call a bailment pool of chassis. They usually don't, (or at least back in my time) build for the dealers without a specific order. Too risky to possibly pay a ton of interest to the factory for a vehicle growing a long white beard while waiting for the right guy to buy it.
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Software for old part time inspector?
gtblum replied to Barrycuda's topic in Computers & Reporting Systems Forum
Or, if you're looking for something that does all of that for you, and keeps the learning curve pretty short, you can download a free trial of Home Gauge, and play with it. A number of us here use it. -
Sorry Douglas, I was only using those to direct your eye toward the scorched area. The "Is that why?" refers to what can happen with two wires under the same screw.
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That's it in a nutshell. Start there, and finish there. The rest will eventually take care of itself. The agents alone, are the single biggest problem with our profession. Why are a group of sales people who get paid more than we do for simply opening a door, and pointing at the paint, a remote consideration in this conversation? They come, they go. They don't have the foggiest idea of the knowledge base we're charged with being responsible for, and in most cases, a clue about what we can, can't, should, or shouldn't be doing. Somebody explain why these people should be holding the reigns on a profession they know nothing about, and means nothing less to them than another obstacle between them and their commission check. I don't get it. Everyone here is on a level so far beyond that of these half wits, yet for some reason we feel compelled to allow their input to influence our direction? Why? They're sales people. That's it. Just like at the furniture store. They're not even in our league. Let's focus on us and separating this profession from those who have damaged it, and turned it into a joke in the eyes of the public. We can't have it both ways. Step up, and have the guts to change business as usual. It's harder, but it works.